ABOUT

PlastiCircle aims to promote the transition towards a circular economy, and to contribute to the European Union's waste management and recycling targets to 2030. At present, more than 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced per year in EU Member States, with only 29.7% being recycled. PlastiCircle's efforts will focus on one particularly important component of this plastic waste, namely plastic packaging waste.

While rethinking various phases in the life of waste - from collection to transport, sorting to recycling - PlastiCircle ultimately aims to transform waste into valuable products. The consortium is reinventing the plastic packaging treatment process to obtain higher recycling rates, better quality and cheaper secondary raw materials, as well as better recovery and valorisation within the same value chain.

In particular, the consortium is focusing on the development of smart containers for separate waste collection, on the improvement of transport routes, and of sorting and reprocessing technologies, eventually converting packaging waste into value-added products such as foam boards, automotive parts, roofing membranes, garbage bags, asphalt and urban furniture.

Eventually, PlastiCircle will define business new plans and promote the replication of the proposed solutions through training and awareness-raising activities for citizens, institutions and private companies. This is being done across Europe, but notably in our three pilot cities: Alba Iulia in Romania, Valencia in Spain, and Utrecht in the Netherlands.

BENEFITS

TECHNOLOGICAL

Testing and demonstration of circular value; improving the plastic value chain in the EU

Optimisation of equipment and production processes for recycled goods

Development of innovative products based on secondary raw materials

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC

Knowledge generation + business plans for each of the derived products

New business opportunities: creation of new companies and job opportunities

Cost reduction for secondary raw materials

Enhanced competitiveness of the EU plastic sector on the global market

Improved safety and health

Savings from the implementation of EU regulation

ENVIRONMENTAL

Resource efficiency through the reduction of residual waste

Sustainability with the reduction of pollution from improved truck routes and reduced landfill and waste incineration

OUR PARTNERS

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730292

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